I’ve been going through and updating old blog posts, and I made my way back five years into the blog. I was reading a post titled My Year in Blogging: Top 8 in 2018 and it was interesting to see how far the blog had come along since then, and how much had changed. (I know technically 2024 is six years from 2018, but this was just at the end of 2018, so I’m counting from 2019)

The Big Things That Happened Five Years Ago vs Now

I’m still a little shocked that all this happened five years ago, as it both seems like last year, and forever ago. The years have gone by fast. I wonder how far along I’ll be with the blog in five more years. I’ve learned a lot about blogging since I started!

My First Sponsored Blog Post

In 2018, I got my very first sponsored blog post and actually started calling myself a blogger. I was finally getting paid for blogging! I recall I wasn’t getting paid very much, and I also didn’t realize at the time that some companies and bloggers were taking advantage of my naiveté and submitting guest posts with paid links in them. Links they were getting paid for, not me!

Now, in 2024, I publish sponsored blog posts every week and it’s become a regular part of the blog. I don’t publish free guest posts anymore unless it’s for someone with a personal blog. I’ve actually gotten to where I have a regular income from sponsored posts, and the blog is a full-time gig.

A Big Company Read My Post

I’ll never forget pouring my ill-fitting leggings angst into a blog post about Lululemon, only to have them CALL ME the next day! I was shocked they found the post. They must have some kind of Google alert set up. I was so scared to call back, but I did, and they invited me to the store for a fitting.

I went and had a great experience finding the right leggings for my body, and I’ve been a fan of Lululemon ever since. You can read the original post and follow-up here: Lululemon Made Me Feel Fat

I’ve been a lot more conscientious of my titles and posts since then, and only call companies out if I’m ready to talk with them. I also try and stick to the facts if I have something negative to say. I recently had a bad experience with Temu, and they contacted me within a week of posting about it, but this time I was expecting it.

My First Free Item

It’s funny to look back and see some of the things I created entire blog posts around, just because I was excited to get something free. It started with shoe cleaner. I not only did a blog post, but also a YouTube video! After that I wrote about artificial bonsai trees, USB plugs, a sound machine…I said yes to everything and soon realized sometimes the time I put into the review outweighed the cost of the item.

These days I’ve learned to say no to most unpaid collabs, even if I really want the thing for free. But if it’s a $50 item and it requires a full blog post, social shares and a video, then I’d be better off just buying it myself and not having to worry about all the work expected with it.

I Made a Media Kit

Once I started getting paid to blog, I created a media kit, and I used to send it out quite often. I should probably go and update it and start sending it again. I guess I’ve gotten a bit lazy because now I just have several replies saved in drafts and I cut and paste the info.

My First Brand Ambassador Deal

I recall how exciting it was when the first brand offered me a brand ambassador deal, where I got a box of stuff each month to test out. It was from Miss Jones Baking Co. and every month they’d send baking mixes and frosting. I had a lot of fun trying everything out.

Now I have several brand ambassador type things going on, from Japanese snack boxes to hydroponic towers. It’s a regular part of my work, as many are also affiliate partnerships.

The Importance of SEO

In 2018, I was just learning the importance of using descriptive headlines after some of my funny titles started drawing in the wrong kind of traffic. The kind of traffic that immediately leaves when they realize it’s a mommy blog and not a porn website.

Learning SEO seems to be an ever-evolving process. I think I know a lot, and then I find out even more. This year I’ve been on a huge blog fixing spree, looking for broken links, making sure title and subtitles are in correct order, adding alt tags to photos. I’m working my way through all the posts and doing what should have been done from day one, if I’d known what I know now!

Momtastic Mommy Blog is Back

I started a new blog and wanted to give it the mommiest mom blog name ever, and that’s where MomtasticMommyBlog.com came from. It was supposed to be a blog where I could publish all those paid sponsored posts that I didn’t want to put on my main blog.

Then I found out that companies aren’t interested in that blog because it was new and had a low DA. The only wanted to post on Geek Mamas. So what the heck did I need two blogs for? I closed it that same year.

Then this year, I went back and reactivated the domain and started blogging over there as well. I now plan to keep it going and hope to raise the blog’s DA enough to attract sponsored posts.

Let’s Keep This Thing Going

The blog has really grown in five years, and I wonder what the next five will be like. Will I still be blogging actively? Will I be getting paid more? (hopefully!) Will Momtastic ever make a profit?

I really do enjoy blogging and all the things that go with it. I actually have a couple other blogs in the works, outside the mommy blog niche. I figure I can work on them slowly and grow them the same way I did this one- by just keeping it going and posting when I can.